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Ex Nihilo Ad…
Language Creation Societywith Jim Henry, Jeff Jones, David J. Peterson, Erin Peterson, and Sylvia Sotomayor
69th Annual World Science Fiction ConventionReno, Nevada
August 18, 2011
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Conlangs
“At some point in the next century, the number of invented languages
will probably overtake the number of surviving natural languages.”
-Cullen Murphy (October, 1995)
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In the Beginning…
* Projected (mid 21st century)
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Lingua Ignota
The first conlang.
Hildegarde von Bingen
(1098-1179)
Aigonz - GodBurizindiz - fireCliuanz - bone
Diriz - ringErmosiz - goldfinch
Flauriz - pelicanGulsich - bucketHarzima - field
Inimois - human
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The Philosophical Languages
John Wilkins
1668
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Solresol1827
Bâlaibalan14th Century
Ro Language
taq “year”taqi “annually”
taqzaw “century”taqzayo “millenium”
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One Lang to Rule Them All
Esperanto vs. Volapükvs.IdoIdiom NeutralSpokilBolakMundolincoAdjuviloOccidentalNovialSonaIntalMondialInterglossaInterlinguaFraterModern IE…
★Culturally neutral.★Easy to learn.★Completely regular.★Western (vocabulary and structure).★Guiding socio-political ideals.
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For Art’s SakeJ. R. R. Tolkien
1892-1973
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The Impact of the Internet
❖July 25th, 1991: First Conlang listserv message (archived).
❖1995: Jeffrey Henning begins sending out the Model Languages newsletter.
❖~1996: Model Languages becomes Langmaker.com. Henning begins to catalog every known conlang on his site.
❖1997: The Auxlang list splits off from the Conlang list.❖1999: The first conlang relay.❖2004: The Conlang flag is created.❖2006: The First Language Creation Conference.❖2007: Language Creation Society founded.❖~2009: No longer possible to keep track of the
number of conlangs in any reliable way.
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Why?
Pure enjoyment.
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Best Practices
Mass Conlanger Collaboration1991-2011
Today: What we’ve learned; how you can benefit thereby.
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First Step
Form four groups.
Goal: To create a model conlang (plausibly human) incrementally from
the ground up.
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Sound System
Oral StopsNasal StopsFricativesAffricatesTrills/TapsLateralsGlidesVowels
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Pronouns and Modification
English Spanish FinnishHawaiia
n
he él hän ia
she ella hän ia
itél/ella
se ia
his carthe man’s car
arabasınınadam araba
oquichtli “man”noquich “my man”
moquich “your man”toquich “our man”
red carcarro rojo
makinë e kuqe
his red carsu carro rojo
makinë e tij të kuqe
chapeau(x) bleu(s)voiture(s) bleue(s)
blue hat(s)blue car(s)
çocuk araba “the boy’s car”çocuğun kırmızı araba “the boy’s red car”
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Sound Changeje parletu parlesil parleils parlent
All languages change over time.
Sound change can be used to produce irregularities.
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Ease of Articulationleaf > leaves
hoof > hoovesbath > bathe
house > house
DaisukeKinoshitagakuseisutoraiki
evde > “in the house”tavanda > “on the ceiling”
örtüde > “on the roof”topta > “on the ball”
yaktubu > yaktub “he writes” (indicative)yaktuba > yaktub “that he writes” (subjunctive)yaktubi > yaktub “let him write” (jussive)
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Misapprehensionnoctem > notte
lactis > latteocto > otto
pectus > petto
realistic(a)llyfam(i)ly
comf(or)ta(r?)blegover(n)ment
lib(e)ral
publicallymischievious
triathalon
whiskeymoneyhoneyetc.
tobacky Missoura
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New WordsNovel Root Creation
cialis, gleak, xerox, viagra (also pokedex, filk, etc.)
Compounding capped heron, whistling heron, boat-billed heron, white-crested tiger-heron
Affixationcomputer > computery, kitten >
kittenish, adjudicate > readjudicate, smarmy > smarminess
Metaphorical Extension
hand (body part > worker), run (physically > make work), green (color >
inexperienced)
Reduplicationlike > like-like, kitap “book” >
kitapmitap “books and related material”, ‘au “swim” > ‘au’au “bathe”
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VerbativesTense vs.
Aspectsit, sat vs. (k)e noho, ua noho
Person Marking
sit~sits, brauche~brauchst~brauchen~braucht,
canto~canta~cantas~cantan~cantamos~cantaís
Exponencesit-s~sat, graf-o~e-graf-a, ua noho~ke
noho nei, have eaten~will have eaten~will have been eaten
Language-Specific
moods: optative, subjunctive, potential, jussive…
voices: passive, middle… agreement, etc.
More Aspect
honorific: peer to peer, adult to child, child to adult
evidentiality: first-hand knowledge, hearsay, none
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BorrowingPhonological Modification
lingerie > “lawn juray”, front > furonto,zaytuun > aceituna, kitaab > kitap
Phonological Incorporatio
n
film “film” > aflam “films” (Arabic)kitabu “book” > vitabu “books” (Swahili)
Specificity and
Generality
mouton “sheep” > mutton, sombrero, albondiga, salsa
pantaloons (< Italian theater character Pantalone)
Drift front > furonto > “reception desk”animation > anime > anime
Rejection and
Translation
conical hat, rice hat, etc. (< Chinese 斗笠 dǒulì)
spring roll (< Chinese 春卷 chūn jǔan)
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Greetings, Farewells, Etc.Goodbye > God be with ye
Aloha > loveSalvē > be healthyNǐ hǎo > you good
As-salaam ‘alaykum > peace upon you
Merci > mercēs “wages, fee, price”Shukran > from root “to praise, to
laud”Thank > “good thoughts” >
“thought”
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To Have, to Need…Verbs: I have…, I need…
Preposition/Phrase: ‘andii…, Ana bi’haajatin ila… (Arabic)
Mixed: J’ai… J’ai besoin de… (French)Etymologies: tener “to hold”, besoin > “look after” (?), bi’haajatin “lack”
(cf. English “want”), ‘and > “to resist, obstinate”, brauchen > “to use”
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And…That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Thank you for participating!
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